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I was recently diagnosed with being severely deficient in vitamin D and have just finished a two month treatment of high doses of cholecalciferol. My blood test results aren't back yet so I don't know whether my levels have gone back up to a normal number.
My Husband's Uncle who is the one who diagnosed me ( after a lot of baffling and inconclusive tests from other Doctors and Specialists) is a renowned allergist and immunologist and has recommended I look into the Paleolithic diet to try and help with some of my health issues saying it might help.
I know a lot of people swear by it as a weight loss diet ( and losing weight would also be great for me) but I was wondering whether anyone has more of a purely health based experience of this diet and whether they would recommend it.
Sadly I love Pasta, Noodles, Rice , Bread etc... so that would be hard to give up but before I can ever think about it properly I thought I would ask for advice/recommendations from people who would know a lot more about it.
Thanks.
I'd check out any number of other resources for the overall health benefits of following a paleo diet. Furthermore, I'd be inclined to trust the advice of the renowned allergist and immunologist who suggested you do so.
There are so many people acheiving health, not just weight loss, on this approach and their stories are easy to find. Just google it.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group was instructed to reduce saturated fats (from animal fats, common margarines and shortenings) to less than 10% of energy intake and to increase linoleic acid (from safflower oil and safflower oil polyunsaturated margarine) to 15% of energy intake. Safflower oil is a concentrated source of omega-6 linoleic acid and provides no omega-3 PUFAs.
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The results show that the omega-6 linoleic acid group had a higher risk of death from all causes, as well as from cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, compared with the control group.
The authors then used the new data to update an earlier meta-analysis (a review of all the evidence). This also showed no evidence of benefit, and suggested a possible increased risk of cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the need to rethink mechanisms linking diet to heart disease.
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Calder says the findings argue against the "saturated fat bad, omega 6 PUFA good" dogma and suggest that the American Heart Association guidelines on omega-6 PUFAs may be misguided. They also "underscore the need to properly align dietary advice and recommendations with the scientific evidence base."
I like this site. I don't do the paleo or primal diet but the information and commentary he provides is intelligent, interesting, and thought-provoking (rare things in the diet and nutrition world).
I like this site. I don't do the paleo or primal diet but the information and commentary he provides is intelligent, interesting, and thought-provoking (rare things in the diet and nutrition world).
Agreed, and it's unfortunate that all the naysayers here, don't check out the forums there and read about all the success stories of weight loss, disease reversal, kicking medications, etc.
Agreed, and it's unfortunate that all the naysayers here, don't check out the forums there and read about all the success stories of weight loss, disease reversal, kicking medications, etc.
Yes, and they'll say that Mark Sisson is just trying to sell books and supplements and stuff. And, he is! But you can get a lot of information from his site without buying a thing. And there are plenty of forums with people sharing their experiences.
You can do paleo or low carb without buying anything (other than the right type of food, of course).
There is some debate over whether these markers are more a symptom of the disease rather than an underlying cause, but doing things that produce more favorable markers tends to be fairly effective in reducing negative outcomes.
I don't think there is much of a debate, most (scientists) acknowledge that these are just biomarkers and aren't direct causes of the respective diseases. Doing some things seems to both move your markets in a favorable direction and reduce your risk for heart disease, where as nobody knows the ultimate effect of doing some other things that are known to change lipid profiles (e.g., consuming some particular type of fat).
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Originally Posted by EugeneOnegin
But the link between saturated fat and lipid profiles is usually what is used to argue that saturated fats are harmful because the evidence regarding health outcomes is mostly weak and inconsistent.
The evidence comes from, as it should, many fronts...its not just lipid profiles. You can find numerous studies showing poor health outcomes, the fact that there are some studies that couldn't find an association doesn't mean the results are "inconsistent". Each study looks at different things, has a different design, etc....one wouldn't expect every study to find the same result even if the hypothesis were true. Nutritional science is too fickle for that.... And this is to say nothing of industry funded junk science, the tactic is obvious, fund some poorly designed studies that show "no association" get the media outlet to talk about it and everyone will ignore the real evidence.
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Originally Posted by EugeneOnegin
Are you saying they aren't healthy?
In general? No...for the average American? Yes. Adding some nuts and avocados to an otherwise low-fat high fiber diet is likely to be just fine, but adding them to a diet rich in (fatty) animal foods and refined oils is just adding more fuel to the fire.
My primary issue with nuts and avocados is they way they are marketed, there is nothing special about these foods. You can find the same nutrients in sweet fruits, legumes, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EugeneOnegin
Since you say only health outcomes matter, can you provide some studies showing negative health outcomes associated with (unhydrogenated) coconut oil?
I'm not aware of any long-term studies on this since coconut oil is not a commonly consumed food in the west, it has only recently gained popularity. This was my point before, we have reasons to believe coconut oil isn't healthful and there has yet to be any good long-term studies that shows coconut oil is the exception to what we already know about saturated fats.
Personally...I'm not sure why anybody would want to eat high priced grease....but hey....
The commentary (or the study) on this study doesn't make much sense. They were feeding people a refined oil that is deficit in omega-3, this almost guarantees that they are going to have a very poor omega-6/omega-3 ratio....this is by no means what the American Heart Association suggests. The American Heart Association stresses the importance of omega-3, why wasn't this done in this study? Seems like junk science.
I use organic virgin coconut oil and avoid the refined (try avoid refined anything really). There are no omega 3 or 6 in coconut oils, but plenty of other sources to bolster the 3's with. I use grass fed Bison/Beef, and fatty fish to help keep the ratios closer.
I was recently diagnosed with being severely deficient in vitamin D and have just finished a two month treatment of high doses of cholecalciferol. My blood test results aren't back yet so I don't know whether my levels have gone back up to a normal number.
My Husband's Uncle who is the one who diagnosed me ( after a lot of baffling and inconclusive tests from other Doctors and Specialists) is a renowned allergist and immunologist and has recommended I look into the Paleolithic diet to try and help with some of my health issues saying it might help.
I know a lot of people swear by it as a weight loss diet ( and losing weight would also be great for me) but I was wondering whether anyone has more of a purely health based experience of this diet and whether they would recommend it.
Sadly I love Pasta, Noodles, Rice , Bread etc... so that would be hard to give up but before I can ever think about it properly I thought I would ask for advice/recommendations from people who would know a lot more about it.
Thanks.
I was on it for a while. I felt though that I was eating too much meat.
I got the book "Wheat Belly" and read that. Ever since I am off wheat and feel a whole lot better. So it's really almost like the Paleo lifestyle in a way. I'm just cutting back on the red meat and eat tons of veggies and fruits, nuts...ect.
I just got the "Wheat Belly Cookbook" for my birthday and I'm going to try some of those recipes!
Just saying maybe you should read the Wheat Belly book and see what you think!
I was thinking the other day that despite myself, I'm heading towards paleo without conscious effort. I've gone off wheat and have better luck with my digestive system, except for the times that I react to red meat and I'm in one of those times. Went to a friend's house the other day and had venison and did just fine with that so may be substituting that for beef when I can. Same friend is going to be milking a cow this summer so I can get raw milk all I want and I can have all the farm fresh eggs I want. I'm feeling pretty good these days if I can leave the sugar and potato chips alone.
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